Newly elected Los Angeles mayor supports full legalization of cannabis

Posted on
May 29, 2013
by
News Admin

Just over a week ago, on May 21st, the voters in the city of Los Angeles resoundingly passed Proposition D,
an ordinance designed to raise taxes on sales of medical marijuana and
limit the total number of allowable weed dispensaries in the city to 135
storefronts or less. On that same ballot was a hotly contested and
grossly over-funded mayoral race pitting two openly pro-cannabis
Democratic candidates against one another, resulting in a dominant win
for LA City Councilman Eric Garcetti who captured 54% of the vote.

In spite of one of the lowest voter turnouts in the city's history,
Garcetti overcame the aggressive financial campaigning that Los Angeles'
most powerful labor unions could throw at him, becoming the city's 42nd
mayor, and earning himself the power to rule over everything from
potholes to pot shops in the nation's second largest city.

Garcetti, who has served on the LA City Council since 2001, was an
outspoken supporter of repealing the 2011 LA city ban on all pot shops,
and openly expressed his support for medical marijuana throughout his
mayoral campaign. In an interview with The Huffington Post in January of this year, then-candidate Garcetti was quoted as saying,"I
have publicly and repeatedly stated the best thing that the federal
government could do is reclassify cannabis so that we can actually get
folks the medicine that they need. I have consistently supported
measures to enforce and maintain a reasonable number of dispensaries for
sick individuals to get their medicine.

Coined as "The Hipster Mayor" by The Huffington Post, Garcetti reportedly drives a Prius and grows his own veggies, but doesn't stop there when talking about "going green".

In a race for mayor that saw strong bilateral support for the use of
medical marijuana, hearing both candidates toss out words like
"compassion" and "safe access" was to be expected, but the fact that a
city of 3.8 million people was sure to get a mayor who would allow
medical marijuana may have signaled a turning of the tide for cannabis
support nationwide.

With the election decided, and the weed-related ballot proposition
that he supported passed, what came out of the mayor-elect's mouth in
his first interview with a national news outlet put a grin on the faces
of cannabis enthusiasts from Hollywood to Inglewood.

In a brief interview this past Sunday with Univision's Jorge Ramos,
Garcetti upped the ante in the ever-evolving weed debate, praising not
only medical marijuana, but
stating outright that he wouldn't have any problem if cannabis was
legalized for recreational use in the Golden State - if the voters in
the state approved it.

Garcetti told Univision that beyond just medicinal use, "if in the
future, California's voters want it for casual use, for me, it's not a
problem." And in a rare display of truth about what cannabis prohibition
does to local law enforcement, he added," I want to use the police
department's resources for more serious crimes, but they are usually
tied up in these crimes that aren't as important."

While it's not the first time
that Garcetti has advocated full legalization of weed, it is the first
time that a sitting mayor-elect of Los Angeles has done so on the
national stage.

Garcetti is not alone as a mayor on the front lines of the war
against the prohibition of cannabis. Roughly 100 miles south on
Interstate 5, San Diego Mayor Bob Filner has been making headlines with
his strong support of medical marijuana, denouncing recent federal raids on local dispensaries, controversial cannabis related court cases, and intervention from his own City Council.

NORML and The Marijuana Majority have teamed up in a campaign
designed to spread useful facts and information about marijuana reform,
and put voters who support cannabis directly in touch with their city's
mayor. Posted on their blog earlier this month, NORML's call for action reads:

We are at a pivotal moment.

Support for legalization is the highest it's ever been and it's still growing.

Now, Washington and Colorado have taken the first step toward ending prohibition for good.

But the feds still have reefer madness and are threatening to stand in the way of these states.

Thankfully, mayors across our nation are taking action.

They see the harm of these laws first-hand, and they are calling for change.

Is your mayor one of them?

By way of a flashy, easy-to-use website,
visitors can determine if their local mayor supports the use of
cannabis or not. Then, depending on their past record and statements on
the issue, a friendly digital message is created that can be customized
by the user and automatically sent to their mayor.

If your mayor has a history of supporting pot, the letter thanks them
for their efforts and encourages them to keep fighting. If they do not,
the message bombards them with truths and facts, and points them to a
list of their fellow mayors who have decided to support cannabis use in
some way, shape, or form. As of May 28th, the site boasts that 2673
messages have been sent to 688 mayors across the United States. Peer
pressure, baby!

Tip O'Neill, former Speaker of the House in the U.S. Congress, once
said that "All politics is local." That may not be true anywhere more so
than in the debate our nation is currently having about our favorite
flower.

Contact your local mayor today and thank, inspire, or educate them about cannabis.

Highly Recommended

Primarily through word-of-mouth alone, GreenZipp has become the company people trust to help start and run their legal marijuana businesses. For the last 4 years, people have been using GreenZipp because it's famously easy, straight forward, with no hidden costs. Combine that with our best-in-the-biz customer service, and you've got a unique and delightful offering of products and services.

A Track Record You Can Trust

We've been in business for 5 years, so you can depend on us to alleviate the anxieties and pressures of starting and running your business. Not once, has a single customer ever been in trouble with the law - ever. We're extremely proud of that number. Our job is to keep you safe and compliant with regulations and allow you to run your company without fear or anxiety. We've gone and will continue to go to the ends of the earth for our customers. Learn more about our company.

No Lawyer Required

Many customers come to us saying that they've been told they need a lawyer to start their businesses. Sure, you can definitely use them, but you don't need them. Heck, you can even do it yourself if you don't mind putting in the time and making some costly mistakes from time to time. We take the complicated, confusing and time-consuming process of starting or running your marijuana business and boil it down to plain, detailed and easy-to-follow steps. Or, we can just do the whole process for you.

Here's the best part: We're so effective, lawyers and law firms hire us to service their marijuana industry clients for them.

Can I See How Past Customers Liked You?

Absolutely. You can see how our customers feel about us via an independently certified, 3rd party review website. We're extremely proud of our 5 out of 5 Star rating.

Free Starter Package

We offer a free Starter Package to help people understand the industry and us a little better. Check it out.

Who Else Uses GreenZipp?

New business owners, seasoned entrepreneurs, investment groups and law firms all rely on GreenZipp. We've been fortunate to earn the repeat business of our customers, including some of the top lawyers and law firms in the country.

A Few Quick Reads & Links

There's a lot of (mis)information out there. At best, it's usually speculation from non-professionals, old wive's tales or completely fabricated. It can be tough to navigate. With that in mind, here are a few things we've prepared for you:

GreenZipp is a medical & recreational marijuana consulting firm that's helped thousands of customers establish and run their marijuana businesses in all legal states since 2010. With industry-leading, streamlined and cost-effective products and services that abolish hourly & hidden fees, we'll be sure to make you happy.